Friday, January 2

Guys, I think I might love Alex more than Derek right now, and that's even after Derek's two-goal, three-point night. Yeah.

(But wasn't that a great game???? I was very impressed with that. It seemed like it was the only game thus far, or at least in a long time, that the Sabres have put in a solid effort for the whole game. And it was good to see Roy, Miller, Vanek, Pominville, and Stafford step up and fill up the score sheet. Alright, my heart is too full of rainbows and butterflies to talk hockey, so we'll talk Alex instead.}

BUT DON'T YOU DARE JUDGE ME. DON'T YOU DARE. I have a legitimate reason to be in love with AO.

FROSTEE!!!!! PLEASE KNOW THAT AS SOON AS MY MOTHER TOLD ME THIS STORY, YOU WERE THE FIRST PERSON I THOUGHT OF (hence, the note I left on your wall). Just please don't die on me... I need someone to search Ovie with me when the Caps are in Buffalo....

STORY TIME!!!!!!!!

Okay, so my mom and I were walking out of work last night (yes, I work with my mother), and she goes, "Okay, listen to this!"

So I listened. And this is what I learned:

Our supervisor, Betty, is like, in her mid 70's. She's pretty awesome, and she's got a son in his late 40's/early 50's, who has real bad MS. What I didn't know is that her son is a hockey fanatic.

I guess he used to play hockey when he was younger, and was friends with Danny Gare and some of the other Sabres from that era. But since his MS has gotten so bad, and considering his age, he and his friends have stopped playing hockey, but have taken up competition through a fantasy league.

Now, Betty's son bleeds blue and gold, more so than I do, which is a lot. But his favorite player is Alexander Ovechkin. Not surprisingly; I mean, he has amazing skill, and I honestly think he's the best player in the league (Crosby, who? Malkin, who?). Anyways, he has Ovie on his fantasy team.

A while back, he writes a letter to AO, just briefly explaining his situation, where he's come from and what he's become, and told Alex that he loves his game, blah, blah, blah, and basically just says something along the lines of "if you wouldn't mind, I'd love it if you could send me an autographed picture of yourself."

So a good amount of time goes by, and Betty and her son never heard a thing. Until the other day.

The phone rings, and it's the Sabres calling for him.

(At this point in the story, I'm like, "Please don't tell me that he met AO! OMGAH He didn't meet Ovie while the Caps were here did he? AHHHHH!)

Whoever it was said, "Mr. Lawson, the Washington Capitals were in town recently, and I have instructions from Mr. Ovechkin to deliver a package to you."

"He is very adamant that this gets to you as quickly as possibly, and made sure to tell us that he will be checking back with us to be sure that it got to you."

So obviously, Betty and her son jump in the car and drive down to HSBC Arena immediately, and sure enough, there was a package waiting.

Betty's son opens it up and finds a handwritten letter from Alex himself. The letter goes on to say how his story is very touching, and Alex appreciates the support, blah, blah, blah.

The best part, though? This is how the letter reads: "I don't have any pictures of myself to send to you, so I hope this will be alright."

What was "this" you might ask?

An autographed, game-used All*Star jersey.

ALKDSGJLAHGD;LAHFSL;GJALFH I KNOW, RIGHT??

So this is why I love Alexander Ovechkin, because he would give up something so valuable, something so memorable to himself, and something so rare collector-wise, to a person he's never met, just because of a touching letter. Not only is this story heartwarming to me because it's a hockey player doing something nice for a fan, but because Alex's gift made the world for Betty's son. Ovie isn't just a good hockey player, he's a damn good human being, and his act of kindness, which wasn't really too much for him to do, makes me feel better about humanity in general. So next time I hear someone trashing AO for whatever reason, I'm going to think of this story and know how wrong that person is.

Do you think Sidney or Evgeni would do this for a random stranger, who isn't even someone from their hometown, the town they play in, or a town they have a personal connection to? I don't think so.

ETA: After getting numerous e-mails and comments saying I'm a bitch or Crosby-hater, etc, for that last statement, I feel it's necessary to reiterate something I myself commented on this post. When I wrote that, I wasn't so much doubting that Crosby or Malkin, or anyone else for that matter, don't do amazing things for perfect strangers. I know they do, and I've heard countless stories of it. A good portion of those stories and experiences, though, are due to extenuating circumstances, such as work done by the Make A Wish Foundation. Now, I'm not saying that those groups and organizations aren't amazing, because they are, and I applaud the guys for working with such foundations. My point was that Alex has no connection whatsoever to Buffalo. He's not from Buffalo, and my supervisor's son isn't from Russia, and doesn't live in the Washington area, nor did he meet AO through a charitable organization. He approached Ovie and asked for an autographed 8x10 picture. Alex went above and beyond what was necessary and made this guy's life. It's no secret amongst my friends and I that I don't care much for Crosby and Malkin, but hey, even if my worst enemy were to do something like this, I'd love him too. I'm not trying to step on any toes or ruffle any feathers, so I could really do without the criticism and the judgement. All I wanted to do was share a heartwarming story..

Seriously, though? I respect Malkin and Crosby for their skills and what they do for the game, and also what they do in the community. Is it wrong that I happen to like Ovechkin more? No. This is America, and it's a free country. I admit some of my statements come off as whatever they may, and I can live with that, but I've come out and explained what I meant. That being said, you can stop with all of the proof that Crosby and Malkin are just as good, if not better, than Ovechkin. They're nice stories to hear, yes, but I could stand to hear these stories without the putting down of Alex, and the exalting of Sid and Evgeni. And that might make me sound like a bitch, but so be it. I like to hear stories about any person, not just Ovie, doing great things for other people, and one good dead by the president does not make a good dead done by a regular person any less special. Get what I mean?

40 comments:

OMGAH!! SEEE!!!! THIS JUST SHOWS HOW PURE OF HEART MY BELOVED ALEXANDER IS!! HE IS SUCH A GOOD, SWEET, KIND, THOUGHTFUL, GENEROUS PERSON!!!!and as long as you promise that *I* can marry him, I have no problems with your newfound love for him :)

OMG!!! That gave me chills and made me tear up! That is so sweet! Being a person with a debilitating illness understands to ultimate frustration but then to get such an outstanding gift from his heart is heart warming. Thanks for sharing!

i just read that story to my mom and she gets all mad and goes, "now how come this kind of story doesn't get the same amount of publicity?!?! he does something that kind and thoughtful and we don't hear about THAT." hear hear! we never hear any of the good stories.and cari, of COURSE you can be in the wedding party!

That is an awesome story! Thanks for sharing. It totally is something AO would do. I always feel the need to defend him whenever anyone talks bad about him because he is such a nice guy. He was so sweet when I met him.

What a great story to ring in the New Year! Just the fact that he took the time to acknowledge the letter is considerate and on top of that to give him an All Star jersey....its just nice to know there are "good guys" in the NHL!

Ovie has been like this since day 1 here in DC. When he and the Caps agreed to his first contract in Washington he said he had to come to DC to sign it as opposed to doing it via a FAX like most contracts are done.

He comes to DC, signs the contract, does a press conference and meets a few of the Caps who are in town (at the time, Kolzig, Witt and Zubrus I think). They're in their jerseys and about to head over to the DC Armory to help out with some of the folks who were staying there from New Orleans due to Katrina. Ovechkin, after hearing from Zubie what was going on, immediately asked to join in as well. He then took the jersey he wore at the press conference and joined them at the armory, even though he wasn't scheduled to be there.

He's a great guy and an amazing talent. The only think I'd change about him is I'd have him not drive 100+ miles per hour through DC...

I know for a fact that Crosby does stuff like this as well, so get your facts straight, its a great story but regardless...he buys a luxary box every year and gives it out to less fortunate kids..he has a girl in Montreal that was a make-a-wish to meet him, and he gets her tickets to every game they play in montreal and everything

I know for a fact that Crosby does stuff like this as well, so get your facts straight, its a great story but regardless.

I didn't mean that Crosby and Malkin don't do great things, either. But what I did mean was that I've always, always, always heard stories about Ovie's selflessness and generosity. I can't believe he'd give away his game used All Star jersey to a complete stranger who wrote him a letter asking for an autograph. I would never expect any hockey player to do that, especially not one of the premier players in the league. I meant nothing against them when I said that; I was just trying to emphasize my point.

Do you think Sidney or Evgeni would do this for a random stranger, who isn't even someone from their hometown, the town they play in, or a town they have a personal connection to? I don't think so.

Yes, yes I think they would.

--Courtesy of PittsburghPenguins.com

Evgeni Malkin should have many assists during his NHL career.

However, his biggest assist may have come off the ice.

Dasha Tusaeva, right, stands with her mother, Natalia.Submitted Photo

Malkin, the 20-year-old Penguins rookie, helped facilitate a much-needed surgery for a 6-year-old girl in Magnitogorsk, Russia, in September.

Dasha Tusaeva was born without a left arm and her mother, Natalia, hoped she could one day improve her daughter’s life.

This year, Natalia found out it was possible for Dasha to get an operation that would allow her to have a prosthetic arm. However, with Dasha’s father paralyzed during a street attack a few years ago, the family could not afford to travel to a Moscow hospital for medical testing and a medical procedure.

Enter Malkin. The young star learned about Dasha’s situation through a newspaper ad seeking financial assistance for the family in his hometown of Magnitogorsk. Some people from Magnitogorsk donated some money and, when Malkin was alerted to the situation, he stepped in immediately – in a big way. Malkin paid for the family to travel to Moscow for Dasha’s tests.

When it was determined surgery would benefit Dasha, Malkin stepped up and paid for the 350,000-rubel (approximately $13,461) procedure and covered the costs of the girl’s rehabilitation.

Evgeni MalkinPittsburgh Penguins

“I am very happy that the surgery went well for her,” Malkin said through translator George Birman. “When I learned about her situation, I knew I definitely had to help her. She was in a bad health condition without the one arm. I am glad she is doing very well now that she had the surgery.”

The whole situation was a surprise for the Malkin family as Evgeni did not publicize his act of generosity.

“His parents didn’t even know,” Birman said. “After the surgery, a newspaper reporter called them and asked what they thought. They had no idea what was going on.”

Malkin left Russia for the United States shortly before Dasha’s surgery, so he has not had a chance to meet her. Regardless, the Tusaeva family printed a newspaper ad thanking the Penguins rookie for his generosity.

“It happened right before I had to leave. I did not meet her personally,” he said. “I knew what was going on and what happened and how everything went. I left the country, but as far as I know, they contacted a newspaper and said thank you for everything I did.

“I would love to meet her. I hope she is doing well. Maybe I will see her this summer, we’ll see.”

This is a very touching story. I love to hear things like this when people go out of their way for others. But, I think it's wrong that you think so low of other players, such as Malkin and Crosby because you don't like them as players or for what team they play on or because, maybe, they're not "hot" enough? Whatever your reason, I have a couple stories of Sid that popped into my head right away when you said he wouldn't go out of his way for people he doesn't know.

He hand delivered season tickets to the season ticket holders of Pittsburgh. Yea, it was probably at the request of the tickets office, but he didn't just drop the tickets off and leave. Some people invited him into their homes. And before he entered their homes, he was the only one to remove his shoes to walk thru their homes. It was like a 15 minutes visit and he took his shoes off. That's a sign of great respect to do that and it speaks volumes of his upbringing.

Also, there is this kid that waits by a red light that Sid drives by on the way to the arena. Everytime the kid has something for Sid to sign. Yea, the kids dad is probably making him do it and selling it on ebay, but every single time Sid stops and signs whatever that kid may have that day. How many players would sign stuff a couple times then get annoyed and drive by him? Sid doesn't have to roll down his window when he's stopped at that light.

So maybe those stories might not impress some, but I would hope that this one does.

The Pens were playing in NC. A guy who works for the Pittsburgh paper was down for the game and met up with some friends of his who had their young son with, who is an avid Pens fan. After the game, they were waiting for a chance for their son to meet Sid. The Pens lost the game. Sid exited the rink and was mobbed by media and autograph-seekers. He talked and signed for everyone there then walked away and was approaching this group of people. He slowed for a second and made eye contact with the kid. The writer told the young kid not to ask sid for an autograph earlier because it was a tough nite for him, and told Sid that he can keep moving. The team flew home from NC and as soon as Sid got off the plane, he hunted this sports writer down and asked, "Did that young kid want his jersey autographed?" The sports writer replied, "Yes, but I told him not to worry about it." Sidney responded, "Have him send me the jersey he was wearing and I will sign it and send it back to him myself."

Plus, numerous times a year, yes it's a community related thing, but he and the rest of the Pens take less fortunate children shopping for anything and everything they need.

But to be truly classy, it takes efforts on and off the ice. And in that aspect, Crosby blows Ovechkin away. Crosby plays a clean game, where Ovechkin takes numerous dirty hits on players every game. But I know you won't agree with me on that. But I don't take anything away from his very generous action to that guy.

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